Your Body Stays Still but Your Mind Races
While I am not a TV critic, I do enjoy quite a bit of it and given that people can't go to the theater right now, I've put together a list of shows/series you can binge-watch from home. After all, 61% of the Netflix survey participants said they binge-watch regularly. I can only imagine what the statistic is now. Binge-watching for me offers an exciting rush of adrenaline you can only get by watching episode after episode, especially an incredible series. It is like a good book, a page-turner that you just can’t put down.
Cinema can make your heart race with excitement of course. Unfortunately, a film typically holds our attention for 2 or so hours. Sadly, cinema doesn't always fill in the blanks that could lift scenes to their full potential. In life, events don't always unfold as quickly as many films suggest. Dialogue is important, some might think dialogue can drag on but I think dialogue is vital
Often you leave the theater longing for more time to spend with the characters you just fell in love with or grew to hate. The beauty of a TV series is that you get to spend many more hours with your favorite characters especially from some of the exceptional series that can be found on Network TV such as Netflix, HBO, Apple TV to name a few...
To binge-watch a show is to excitedly remain focused (most likely on the couch). Your body stays still but your mind races. Your irises keep your pupils locked into middle gear towards the center of the screen and lets the complexity of the stories wash over you.
The shows I’ve listed made me howl with laughter, sob into my pillow and tighten my hands. The vast majority of the characters within these shows stuck with me always left me in awe of them. They are relevant, unapologetic, hilarious, fierce, humble, flawed, joyful, traumatized and human. Here are the shows I highly recommend binge-watching. Sit back, relax and enjoy!
Big Little Lies - A complex tale of mystery and intrigue. Critically acclaimed, and leaves you holding your breath, needing more. Reese Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman, Shailene Woodley, Laura Dern, and Zoe Kravitz star as five women whose secrets start to crack in their small town of Monterey, leading up to a shocking finale.
The Girlfriend Experience - A daring and unapologetic glimpse into a taboo atmosphere that has temptation we can’t shift away from. From watching season one, season two is mediocre but season one is much more appealing. The series shadows Christine Reade (Riley Keough), an intelligent law student in Chicago moonlighting as a high-end escort. Corruption at the law firm she interns at will soon force her worlds to collide.
Grace And Frankie - Classically and furiously funny. Don't be surprised if you find yourself throwing your bowl of popcorn at the screen. Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin excel as two very different women with no love lost between them who move in together after their husbands (Martin Sheen and Sam Waterston) leave them for each other. The two being polar opposites soon get themselves into all kinds of mischief and unforgettable fun.
The Crown - A royally remarkable show brought to life by Claire Foy and Olivia Colman. The story of Queen Elizabeth II has never been told with the level of zest Foy and Colman bring forth. Both seasons 1 and 2 of The Crown are exceptional. In my opinion, season two is the best yet.
Ozark - This is our decade's Breaking Bad. Ozark is by far a stimulating and suspenseful show on TV. Every episode leaves you bloodthirsty for the succeeding. The series stars Jason Bateman and Laura Linney as a couple who drag their family from Chicago to the Missouri Ozarks to launder money for a drug boss whose power hangs over their every move.
Safe - Safe is a gripping 2018 British miniseries with Michael C. Hall who stars as a widowed father confronted with the secrets that live within his gated community following the disappearance of his teenage daughter. I consider this show stylish and common, yet original.
The Handmaid's Tale - Given how uncertain life is right now, I absolutely respect it if you can't bring yourself to watch this at the moment. If you do choose to, you must stick with it. Handmaid’s Tale is certainly, strangely revolutionary. A phenomenal dystopian drama that follows Elisabeth Moss’s continuous fight for survival in a society that has swept the rug out from under her, placing her and all she holds dear in unimaginable affliction.
#Apple TV +
Truth Be Told - I invariably knew Octavia Spencer would stumble in the TV game one day. Octavia continuously owns the screen. Octavia will take you deep into the depth of the character's worlds. The series follows Octavia Spencer as a crime podcast reporter whose life starts to unravel following her discovery that she might have put an innocent man behind bars.
The Morning Show - Takes you behind the scenes of Network news. The Morning Show consists of a great cast and creative writing. Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon play two news anchors who go head to head with each other for power in a network that’s future is in jeopardy following the exposure of sexual misconduct.